


A Totally Mundane Killing Game

by TheEmeraldLegend



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Additional Warnings In Author's Note, Death Threats, Explicit Language, Human K1-B0 (Dangan Ronpa), New Dangan Ronpa V3 Spoilers, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pre-Game Personalities (New Dangan Ronpa V3), Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-20
Updated: 2018-04-23
Packaged: 2019-04-05 07:55:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14039667
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheEmeraldLegend/pseuds/TheEmeraldLegend
Summary: Just sixteen normal high schoolers. Nothing unusual going on at all. Just a completely normal and boring game. Nothing special about it in the slightest. Definitely not.





	1. Kaede Akamatsu

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: This story will get explicit later and deal with themes like drug addiction, sex, intense violence, and death. Until they appear in the story proper, the tags will not mention them.
> 
> This is not a Saimatsu story. The main ship of this story will be Amamatsu with other ships, but is mainly a pre-game personality killing game.
> 
> I apologize for the confusion and inconvenience. Please enjoy!

“Whoever the hell is behind this, I’m gonna kick you in the balls when I get my hands on you,” the girl announced to the empty room, hoping whoever knocked her out could hear her. “Or the vagina, if you’re a girl. Either way, I’m kicking you where the sun don’t shine, you bitch.” She woke up in a cramped locker in a strange classroom with vegetation growing on part of the wall. The room gave off an odd feeling, it was ominous and foreboding, yet the girl felt like it was familiar in some way. Most people would be more frightened if they woke up in a strange place, but this girl wasn’t like most people in a certain way.

This girl was Kaede Akamatsu. She’s a normal girl in her third year of high school. There’s nothing particularly special about her. The most notable things about her are her golden blonde hair, purple eyes, and ample breasts. While her body was the subject of many perverted remarks and sexual fantasies, those who made their them aloud near the girl faced her wrath. Kaede hated perverts with a burning passion, despite having many sexual desires herself. She liked listening to piano and spent most of her time on her phone. Not finding it in her pocket only made her angrier.

Her personality was infamous to people who encountered her in their lives. Kaede didn’t have many friends. The ones she did have were like her. They hated humanity. All of them chuckled watching shows and anime where people were gunned down in the streets and mercilessly killed in cold blood. They giggled when people’s dreams were crushed in reality shows. They didn’t have any faith in humanity. Their friendship came about through their shared dislike and distrust of other people, a mutual hatred that is wrapped around each of their hearts and wormed into their minds. They’re not the kind of people to be friendly.

She grit her teeth, growing more impatient with every second. On her way to school, she was snatched. A small group of men grabbed her and threw her into a black van and knocked her out with a rag of chloroform. When she awoke, she was inside of a locker in the room she currently was in, her only means of communication missing. “This isn’t fucking funny!” she shouted, angrily kicking the locker next to the one she woke up in. “Whoever thinks you can get away with this, you fucked with the wrong person! I’ll find you and beat you goddamn ugly face in until it resembles the worthless mess that you are!”

After shouting her threat, a sound echoed throughout the room, grabbing her attention. Turning in the direction of the noise, she quickly realized that it was coming from the locker that she just kicked. The locker was shaking as if something inside was trying to get out. Narrowing her eyes, she looked through the slits to discern what was causing all the shaking. She couldn’t make out too much in the darkness, but she could make out some shape that vaguely resembled a person crammed inside. She tried to open it, but the door was stuck. She could probably open it with enough force, but she had no reason to for the moment. Instead, she decided to interrogate whatever was inside. “Who or what is in there?” she questioned the unknown figure. “Are you the bastard who kidnapped me?” The figure was silent for a while, either contemplating a response or too scared to answer. Impatient, Kaede slammed her fist against the metal door. “Answer me!”

After another moment, a shaky voice emanated from the locker. “I’m... I’m not the one who kidnapped you... I was kidnapped too...” After receiving an answer, Kaede wanted to punch the person inside the locker in the face, but she resisted. Right now, he had to stay calm and try to get as much information as she could out of whoever was in there. Before she could ask another question, the voice spoke again. “Where... am I? Who are you?”

Rolling her eyes, Kaede realized that whoever was in the locker wouldn’t be even slightly helpful. “No idea and I’m not telling you,” she responded. “It’s some freaky classroom. That’s all I know. Now, I’m going to leave you here struggling while I go and find who did this. Enjoy your pathetic life, loser.”

She turned to leave, but the locker began shaking more violently. “D-Did you say... a c-classroom...?” The voice became shakier and sounded more out of breath. Kaede had no idea why they sounded like that. “L-Let me out! Please, let me out! I need to see it!”

Kaede took a step back. The person inside began banging on the door, reminding her of an animal trying to escape a cage. It was freaking her out a little bit. “W-What the fuck are you doing? Are you—“

“JUST OPEN THE DOOR!” She jumped when the voice suddenly shouted at her. “I NEED TO SEE IT!” They began pounding on the door, starting to shake the locker so much that it looked like it was holding back a hurricane.

That was it. She was too freaked out. Whatever was wrong with whoever was in there, she was too scared to leave them in there out of fear. “F-Fine! I’ll let you out if you stop being so freaky!” Cautiously stepping forward, the shaking slowed down until it nearly completely stopped. She began to force the door open, only made tougher by the vibrating of the door. After a little bit, she managed to get the door open, stumbling back as she watched the figure inside fall to the floor. They were a boy, looking about the same age as her. He wore a black uniform and had a black hat on. They began to start glancing at things around the room. Frustrated with dealing with him, Kaede slammed her foot down in front of his face. His eyes traveled up her leg, eventually finding her piercing gaze staring down at him. “Who are you?” She asked sternly. “Don’t bullshit me. I want answers.”

Swallowing the lump that formed in his throat, the boy decided his best course of action was to answer her question. “...Shuichi. Shuichi Saihara. May I ask you something...” he paused, not knowing her name.

“Akamatsu,” she told him. “Kaede Akamatsu. What do you want?”

Shuichi took another quick glance around the room. The desks, the sealed windows, it looked just like one of the sets. Looking back at Kaede, he asked the question that had been on his mind for several minutes.

_“Is this... Danganronpa?”_


	2. Danganronpa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaede thinks about a TV show she watched last year.

Saihara’s question repeated in her mind. Is this Danganronpa? Kaede never even considered that possibility. Thinking about it a bit more, she realized all the signs were there. If this was Danganronpa, it would explain the classroom, the kidnapping, and the sealed windows. No doubt about it, this had to be Danganronpa, or at least some assholes copying it.

Danganronpa was a reality television series that had been running for years before Kaede was even born. During her first year of high school, the fifty-second season aired. She watched it after hearing about it from her friend and found it entertaining. The characters were kinda interesting, and one of them in particular was pretty attractive, but she still enjoyed seeing them suffer. She was happy the attractive boy survived, though. He was mysterious and intelligent. Kaede might hate humanity, but sometimes there’s an exception or two, like her friends for example.

When it ended, she found clips from older seasons on the internet and browsed a few forums talking about the show. She even managed to find archived footage from the very first season, something the fans considered sacred to their existence. It was pretty fun to watch, Kaede especially loved the girl obsessed with lies and relished her ironic execution. The first mastermind was also someone Kaede enjoyed watching, and the fans practically orgasm when seeing the videos of her alive. The original mastermind, Junko Enoshima.

Junko Enoshima was legendary among the fan base, not only for causing the destruction of the world around her despite being a high school girl, but for managing to come back time and time again in the first fifteen seasons. After her death, she came back as an artificial intelligence, a zombie, a ghost, a spirit possessing the mastermind of the twelfth season, and even as a cyborg for the grand finale of the Junko Enoshima Chronicles. Those fifteen seasons are regarded worldwide as the best plot ever created for Danganronpa, despite having one of the less popular seasons in it.

From her browsing of the forums and other sites, Kaede’s picked up basic information on the series, how it works, and how the fanbase regards most seasons. The basic idea was that usually sixteen teenagers would be forced to participate in a killing game. The rules were simple. The only way to leave was to get away with murdering one of the other contestants. If they can’t figure out it was you, everyone is executed, like in season nineteen, but if they do figure out you killed someone, then you’re the one executed in an elaborate execution custom tailored to your personality and talent. Each contestant also had an Ultimate talent, except for season two’s protagonist, which made him a fan favorite. At first, talents rarely repeated, but soon enough, about half the cast of each season had a repeated talent. That didn’t necessarily make it a bad thing. The second Ultimate Lucky Student was almost as famous as Junko Enoshima to the point where he’s still in many people’s Top Ten Danganronpa Contestants lists to this day. Other common talents included Detective, Archer, DJ, and Artist. Another thing each season included was one contestant who either didn’t remember their talent or wouldn’t reveal it, creating the signature Ultimate ???, another talent beloved among fans.

While the show was popular worldwide, there were many seasons and characters that were despised by fans. Season one’s Affluent Progeny has a pretty split fanbase, as did the Golfer from season five and the Hacker from season nine. Season three had horrible pacing, season eighteen had bland characters, season twenty-seven was way too low budget, and season forty-eight was incredibly predictable. There were tons of polls dedicated to guessing who would die, who would live, who was the mastermind, and who would murder who. Some fans with more creative minds tried to specifically guess the executions of certain contestants, and a few got them right from time to time. Season forty-eight didn’t surprise anyone. The mastermind was obvious, the murderers were obvious, the executions were just sloppy rehashes of old ones, and the plot didn’t surprise anyone because the hints were too many and too obvious. In fact, the fanbase thinks the third season had a better plot, and that one was mostly completely apart.

Kaede wasn’t a huge fan of Danganronpa, but she liked the fifty-second season and the basic premise of the show, so she understood why Shuichi would ask if this was it. “I... don’t know. It looks a bit like it. Doesn’t Danganronpa take place in a school?”

“Actually,” Shuichi informed, “Danganronpa’s most used setting is a school building, but it occasionally uses other settings, like the tropical island from the incredibly popular season two and the hotel from season seventeen.” His left hand tightly gripped his pant leg as he spoke. “Do you think... Do you think we’re in the new season?”

“Maybe?” Kaede shrugged, not fully knowing the situation. “If you don’t know, then I’m leaving.” She turned towards the door, ready to leave. “I’m gonna find out what’s going on.”

“Wait!” Shuichi reached his hand out, grabbing Kaede’s wrist to stop her.

She quickly jerked her hand back, causing Shuichi to stumble a bit. “Don’t touch me!” she shouted at him, kicking him in the leg, making him fall to the floor. “What do you want?” Her tone was annoyed and borderline aggressive.

Shuichi, now on his stomach on the floor, craned his neck up to look at her again. “I just wanted to ask... Are you a fan of Danganronpa?”

“Are you kidding me?” Furious at the question, Kaede stepped on Shuichi’s back, digging her heel into his shoulder blades. “You stopped me to ask a stupid question like that? That doesn’t fucking matter right now!” She moved her foot off of him. “Idiot...” She mumbled, turning again to leave.

As she walked out of the classroom, Shuichi scrambled to his feet, rubbing the now sore spot on his back. Once he gathered up his strength again, he rushed after Kaede, calling after her. “W-Wait! I don’t think it’s a good idea to wander around alone!” It was a flimsy lie, especially if it really was Danganronpa. Nobody would kill this early, only the insane contestant from season thirty-three. Shuichi thought if he followed Kaede around, he wouldn’t have to deal with any bullies. Sure, she insulted him and hurt him, but he hoped that she’d ignore him for the bigger fish. He’d use her aggressive personality to get a read on the situation and wait for the right time to go back to his usual routine of observing things from the sidelines.

When he got out into the hallway, he froze in his tracks, right next to the also frozen Kaede. Right in front of them was a large robot, at least twice their height. It reminded Shuichi of the robots from season two, but it was slightly different. It had four limbs, one of which ended with a dangerous looking gun, a monkey tail, and wires hanging off of it. It also appeared to have some kind of emblem resembling a shield on it. Half of the shield was blue and had the word ‘Exisal’ written on it.

A robotic voiced boomed from the robot. “ **Hell yeah! Found you!** ”


	3. Exisal Tribe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaede and her temporary acquaintance encounter some vicious beasts!

“W-What the hell is that thing!?” Kaede yelled, fearing the hulking beast.

“I don’t know!” Shuichi shouted. “It’s a giant robot!”

“ **You brats better get running!** ” the voice continued. “ **Gah-hahahaha! Woooo! Hahaha!** ” The robotic voice bellowed insane laughter as it swung at the two, just barely missing them.

“Run!” Shuichi yelled, running past the robot, down the hallway. Kaede saw the same opening he used to run past it and followed, hoping she could run faster than him so that thing would get him first.

The robot continued laughing as it charged after them. “ **Where you guys going? We’re just getting started!** ” The metal beast hulked after the two teenagers, its laughter terrifying them.

They turned the corner to find a staircase. Rushing down the stairs, they found another robot, looking identical to the previous one, except the blue highlights was replaced with a pink color. It was facing away from them, looking down a hallway. “ **Hello?** ” it called out. “ **Is anybody here? Where are you, children?** ”

Quietly, Kaede and Shuichi crept down another hallway leading away from the robot, hoping it wouldn’t hear them. Fortunately, it didn’t, and they encountered a split path. On the left was a short dead end with a few doors while the right path held a corner that led to more of the building. “Which way should we go?” Shuichi asked.

Suddenly, another one of the robots, a yellow one this time, jumped down from the ceiling on the left path. “Not that way!” Kaede yelled, immediately running down the right path, Shuichi following close behind.

The robot called after them. “ **Get to da gym, you brats!** ” It didn’t appear to chase them, but they two didn’t want to risk it. Around the corner was an empty doorway that opened into another long hallway. As they sprinted down the halls, a fourth robot, this one colored green, appeared behind them, silently pursuing them.

“How many of those things are there!?” Kaede screamed as she and Shuichi turned another corner at the end of the hall, ending up at a dead end. The only way forward was a pair of double doors. Diving frantically through the doors in hopes that they’d be safe from the robots. Once they were inside the room through the doors, they were greeted with an unexpected sight.

Fourteen other people, all high schoolers like them, stood around what appeared to be a gymnasium. All eyes were on the two that just burst into the room. The first to say anything was a short boy with dark purple hair. “Hey, are you guys alright?”

Shuichi took a few steps forward to talk to the others better while Kaede remained where she was. “There’s... There’s giant robots out there!” Shuichi said, still shaken. “I thought I was going to die!”

“It is the same for us all...” a dark-skinned girl in the back said. “We were all chased by those scary things.”

“I wasn’t scared of them,” a tall boy with purple hair said. “I woulda fought them, but I knew even I was outmatched. If there was just one, I think I could beat it.”

“Shut up,” a girl with black pigtails told him. “You’d have to be an idiot to take those things on barehanded.”

“Wait, wait, hold on a second,” Kaede commanded. “Just who are you guys?”

Another tall boy with green hair answered her. “We’re all high schoolers. Are you?” Kaede and Shuichi nodded. “Then that makes us all high schoolers... Sixteen in total...” He folded his arms, looking displeased. “I think I know what this is...”

Before Kaede could ask, a loud voice erupted through the room. “ **Did someone say the magic numba’?** ” Jumping down from the ceiling, the four robots, joined by a fifth red one, all surrounded the sixteen of them.

“ **Everyone’s here!** ” the pink one announced. “ **Our job is complete!** ”

“ **Now we just have ta wait,** ” the yellow one spoke.

“ **Woo hoo!** ” the blue one cheered. “ **I love doing this shit!** ”

“ **Wait, what are we supposed to do?** ” the red one asked. “ **I forgot.** ”

“ **We need ta to wait for Pops to appear and introduce da killing game!** ” the yellow one reminded.

“K-Killing game!?” a short girl with red hair shrieked. “What’s that m-mean!?”

The five robots were silent. The tall boy with the purple hair angrily stomped his foot, growling at them. “Hey, assholes! What the fuck is going on here!?”

“ **Monosuke, you gave away the surprise to the contestants!** ” the pink one squealed.

A low hum came from the yellow robot. “ **I’m sorry! This prologue is stretchin’ on for way too long, though!** ”

“ **Now that you say it, where is Papa?** ” the blue one loudly asked. “ **He should be here by now!** ”

As if on cue, another voice echoed throughout the gym. “Ah, it seems everyone is finally here.” The voice was oozing with positivity and its upbeat and chipper tone was incredibly unnerving. “Please don’t miss this. Direct your attention to the podium, please.” All sixteen of them turned towards the back of the room, looking at a stage with a podium front and center on it. In a flash, a shape popped out from behind, landing on top of it. It was a bear, its left half colored black and it’s right half colored white. It’s left eye was a red lightning-like emblem.

“What... is that?” the dark-skinned girl from earlier asked.

The bear replied with a chilling laugh. “Upupupupu... I... am your headmaster... Monokuma! Welcome to Danganronpa!”


	4. Monokuma

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The contestants meet the mascot of Danganronpa.

The sixteen high schoolers all stood in the gym, staring at the monochromatic bear who claimed to be their headmaster. All had varied reactions, but the most confused was the dark-skinned girl. “Mono... kuma? Headmaster? I am sorry, but I am very confused.”

“ **How do you not know Daddy?** ” the pink robot asked. “ **His face is so famous, they make food shaped like it!** ”

The girl frowned, a bit disappointed that she didn’t recognize such a famous face. “I do not know who you are, Mr. Monokuma... I am sorry...”

That seemed to anger Monokuma. He grumbled before shouting at her. “Don’t know who I am!? My face is plastered from here to Greenland! The whole world knows Monokuma, the most famous mascot of Danganronpa! That rabbit has nothing on me! For the past fifty-two seasons, my mug’s been bringing joy, fear, and sexual fetishes to people everywhere! And this season’s no different! Whoever you are, you better remember my face, cause it’ll be the last thing you see if you get executed!”

“E-Executed!?” the short girl with red hair screeched.

The dark-skinned girl looked down at her feet, embarrassed and nervous. “...My name is Angie, just so you know...”

The green haired boy scowled, unhappy with the bear. “So, it really is what I thought... This is the fifty-third season of Danganronpa...”

“Bingo, Avacado!” Monokuma replied. “As a quick reminder for all of you, Danganronpa works like this. The only way to leave is to win the game. To win the game, there either must be only two people left, or one person must successfully get away with murder! Once a body has been discovered, you all get some time before we have a class trial, which is where you all discuss the case until it’s time to vote for who the blackened is. If you pick the right one, the blackened will be executed and the peaceful daily life you’ve been given will return. But... if you pick the wrong person... I’ll punish everyone besides the blackened, and they’ll be the sole survivor!” Most people there understood the situation. They had heard of or seen Danganronpa before, so they were warmed up to the idea. Out of them, the most visibly shaken were the short girl with red hair, the short boy with purple hair, and Angie.

“ **Hey, Pops, is it time fo’ us to introduce ourselves?** ” the yellow robot abruptly asked.

Monokuma sighed as best as a robotic bear could sigh. “Of course, my children! It’s your time to shine now!”

“Th-The M-Monokubs!?” Shuichi shakily asked. Ever since Monokuma announced himself and the new season, he had begun to squirm in his spot. He stood there, tightly gripping his pant leg with one hand as the information slowly began to sink in, bit by bit.

The shields on each of the five robots lifted, revealing a small cockpit, where a robotic bear resided in each. All five looked like smaller versions of Monokuma, except with different designs and colors. They all leapt out of their machines and landed side by side on the stage, right in front of Monokuma’s podium.

“Rise and shine, ursine!” they cheerfully announced. “We are the Monokubs!”

“I’m Monokid!” the blue one that looked like a rockstar roared. “I’m the cool one!”

“I’m Monosuke,” the yellow one, who wore glasses, stated. “I’m the smart one.”

“I’m Monotaro!” the red one with a scarf around his neck cheered. “I’m the forgetful one!”

“I’m Monofunny!” the pink one that resembled an island girl said. “I’m the cute one!”

The last one was a green one who looked more like a robot than the others. He didn’t say anything.

“That’s Monodam!” Monokid shouted. “He’s the quiet one. I’ve bullied him so much that he’s closed off his heart and won’t speak!”

“Why would you do that?” A tall girl with long blue hair asked.

“That’s been his purpose since his introduction,” Shuichi answered, managing to calm down for a moment. “Ever since Monodam took over the show during season thirty-one, Monokid was added to the Monokubs to keep him from uprising again.”

“How the fuck did you know all that?” the tall boy with purple hair asked.

Shuichi’s eyes dilated slightly as a small grin spread across his face. “I’m... a big fan of Danganronpa...”

“What’s your name?” the tall boy continued.

“Shuichi,” he answered. “Shuichi Saihara.”

“Shuichi, you’re a goddamn nerd,” the tall boy bluntly told him. “Don’t you dare get creepy or I’ll beat your fucking face in.” Understandably, Shuichi was a bit scared of his threat.

“Oh, that’s right,” the tall boy with green hair said. “We haven’t introduced ourselves to each other yet.”

“That’s right!” Monokuma cheered. “Since you know the basics, the rest of the rules can be found on your Monopads!”

“Monopads?” Angie asked. “What are those?”

Monokuma was nearly fuming at this point. “Do you not know anything!? It’s these things!” As he said that, the five Monokubs went around giving each of the sixteen contestants an electronic device. “These things will display your name when you start them up. They contain basic profiles on all of you, the rules of this academy, a map of the areas you’re allowed to go, and keep track of information for you to use in class trials. Now that that’s explained, my wonderful children and I are going to leave you all to your introductions.” Once he finished talking, Monokuma disappeared behind the podium, completely vanishing.

“So long, bear well!” the Monokubs said before leaping back into their Exisal and piloting them out of the room, leaving Kaede and the other fifteen contestants alone. She decided to look at the rules to get a better idea of what she’s allowed to do.

*** Rule #1:** Students are required to cohabitate at the Ultimate Academy for the remainder of the unforeseeable future.  
 *** Rule #2:** When a murder is committed in the academy, a class trial will be conducted. Participation in this trial is mandatory for all surviving students.  
 *** Rule #3:** If the killer (hereinafter referred to as "the blackened") is correctly identified during the class trial, only the blackened will be punished for their crime.  
 *** Rule #4:** If the blackened cannot be identified, or if an incorrect student is identified as the blackened, all students except the blackened will be punished for the crime.  
 *** Rule #5:** If the blackened survives the class trial, they are declared the winner. At which point, they will graduate from the Ultimate Academy and re-enter the outside world.  
 *** Rule #6:** If innocent students (hereinafter referred to as "the spotless") continue to survive class trials, the killing game will continue until only two students remain.  
 *** Rule #7:** "Nighttime" is officially designated as the hours between 10:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. During this time, the dining hall and gymnasium are closed.  
 *** Rule #8:** All acts of violence toward Monokuma, the headmaster of the Ultimate Academy, are strictly prohibited.  
 *** Rule #9:** Monokuma will never directly participate in a murder.  
 *** Rule #10:** Your Monopads are very important items. Make sure you do not damage them.  
 *** Rule #11:** A body discovery announcement will occur when three or more students discover a body.  
 *** Rule #12:** Students have free rein to explore the Ultimate Academy as they see fit.  
 *** Rule #13:** Students who violate these rules will be exterminated with extreme prejudice by the Exisals.  
 *** Rule #14:** The headmaster may add additional regulations to this list at any time.

Certain rules interested her personally. If class trials keep happening, she’ll be able to win once it comes down to just her and someone else. She doesn’t want to kill anyone. Not because she likes them or because she’d never do it, but because it’s too risky. Nearly every killer is found out and executed, with the record for the shortest class trial being five minutes, according to the forums. All she has to do is follow these rules and wait for her chance. If it comes down to three, she’s going to strike while the iron’s hot.

“I suppose we should introduce ourselves,” the tall green haired boy said after looking through what was on his Monopads. “My name is... Rantaro Amami. I go to Hope’s Pass High School.”

Kaede nearly dropped her Monopad. She thought that he looked familiar, the clothes he was wearing were different, but hearing his name finally made it click. She ran up to him, stopping just a few feet in front of him. Seeing him up close, she knew it was definitely him.

“You’re Rantaro Amami! One of the survivors from the last season!”


	5. Rantaro Amami

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kaede learns about someone who participated in the last Danganronpa.

Rantaro started at Kaede, feeling a mixture of disappointment, regret, and relief. His experience in the last season of Danganronpa is what helped him recognize the scenario again. For the past two years, he’d been in hiding, not from Danganronpa, but from the world. The world didn’t care about those who survived the fifty-second killing game. Rantaro survived along with three others when one of the contestants sacrificed themselves to kill the mastermind. He felt hope that day. He thought the world would be able to help them recover from the trauma they faced in that killing game. But he was wrong...

_Did you see that Rantaro guy in the new season! He was a total dreamboat! He was such a good friend to everyone! He was like a big brother. He was my favorite character of this season! I wish I could be in a Danganronpa season!_ He’d heard things like that all over the place. Everywhere he went, everyone was more interested in what he did on the show instead of in real life.

Rantaro participated in the fifty-second season. The season was called Cool Danganronpa 52: Shapeshifting Adventure. He was the protagonist of the season, as he was the Ultimate Adventurer. Though, he didn’t know it at first. At first, he was the season’s Ultimate ???. After the fifth murder, he remembered his talent. He earned the title by traveling around the world, looking for his twelve sisters. It was a pretty crazy sounding backstory, but it was all a lie.

The fifty-second season had a unique twist to it. All participants were actually normal first-year high schoolers, except they were brainwashed into thinking they had different pasts. The mastermind used Flashback Lights, a device invented by an Ultimate Inventor before they participated in the twenty-eighth season, to brainwash the contestants. Rantaro’s fake memories included traveling around the world and having twelve sisters. In reality, he didn’t have a single sibling, and he rarely even left Japan. He lost his fake memories when the surviving contestants were able to use a Blackout Light, another device invented by the same person, to wipe their fake backstories, leaving them with their true personalities and memories.

Nobody in the world cared about him after that. Nobody was interested in a random high schooler. Everyone wanted to hear about his incredible travels. They wanted to know how his search for his sisters was going. They wanted to know about the struggles he face on his journey. They wanted to hear about the Ultimate Adventurer, not Rantaro Amami.

“Yeah,” he replied after a moment. “I was in the last season of Danganronpa...”

“You’re the Ultimate Adventurer!” Kaede exclaimed. “You were so mysterious and cool and...” she wanted to say attractive, but she might come across as a weird fan like Shuichi. Besides, what did she care about him? He was the protagonist of the last season, of course she’d like him. She had no reason to think he was as bad as the rest of them. Her friends would remind her of what they each experienced. They all knew that humanity couldn’t be trusted. “...smart.”

Rantaro let out a small chuckle out of pity. “Heh... That’s not me... Remember the end of last season? All that was just fake memories to make the game more interesting. I’m no Ultimate Adventurer.”

“If you remember that, then do you not have those memories now?” Rantaro nodded at the very short boy’s question, slightly surprised and intimidated by his deep voice. “If this is another season, why don’t you have those false memories anymore?”

“That’s a good question,” Rantaro admitted. “Why would they let me keep my normal personality and memories for this?”

“It’s probably because of the different mastermind,” Shuichi suggested. “Danganronpa hasn’t had someone be the mastermind more than once since the Junko Enoshima Chronicles. It’s very unlikely they decided to bring back the one from season fifty-two. Maybe the new mastermind was okay with having a bunch of normal people?”

“Well, how do we know that we’re all normal?” Rantaro countered. “I’m the only one who introduced themselves.”

“Wait, I introduced myself!” Shuichi defended.

“You told us your name,” Rantaro clarified. “I’ve told you all what high school I attend and my history with Danganronpa. What about you?”

Shuichi was quiet. Rantaro had made a good point. “Okay then... Like I said, my name is Shuichi Saihara. I attend Spring Field Academy. My history with Danganronpa...?” An odd smile stretched across his lips as his hand gripped his pant let tightly once again. He began to shiver as if a sudden chill crept down his spine.

“Danganronpa... is my life...” His breath hitched in his throat as if he was too excited to speak properly. His expression was full of excitement and pleasure. “It is my reason to live!”


	6. Kaito Momota

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More people introduce themselves, including a very aggressive boy.

Everyone stared at Shuichi with varying degrees of shock. Kaede was utterly disgusted. “You’re... so weird! I watched the last season and saw some clips from the old seasons, but it’s not my reason to live! You look like you’re about to cum in your pants, you gross freak!”

Shuichi took a moment, but he managed to compose himself slightly. “S-Sorry. I’m just... so thrilled to be a part of Danganronpa. I wonder who the protagonist is...”

“Moving on,” Rantaro said, turning his attention back to Kaede. “You’ve told us what you know about Danganronpa. How about your name?”

Normally, she’d kick anyone her age who asked her name in the crotch, but this wasn’t the time to be bitter. Once she knew everyone, she’d know who to avoid. “Kaede Akamatsu. I go to Shining Star International High School.”

“That’s a pretty name,” Angie complimented.

“Sounds like some fancy school for stuck-up bitches,” the tall guy with purple hair snarled.

Kaede narrowed her eyes at the tall male. “You’re one to talk, bastard. Who are you, anyway?”

The boy crossed his arms, scowling at Kaede. “Kaito Momota. I go to Dodonpachi Commercial High. I’m playing on winning this game, so-“ Kaito stopped, hearing the sound of giggling from the room. A handful of the group was trying to contain their laughter. A few others smiled. “What the hell is so funny!?” Kaito barked at them. Some of those who were giggling stopped, intimidated by his overbearing presence. One of them mumbled something under their breath, but Kaito heard them and marched up to them. “You wanna say that a little louder, bitch!?”

The person he approached was a girl not too much shorter than him. She had long strawberry blonde hair and an orange ribbon was sloppily tied into an uneven bow around her messily unbuttoned collar, barely containing her large breasts and leaving her cleavage exposed. The girl cowered under Kaito’s threat. “I-I just... I just thought it was funny how your school’s name is also the name of a shooter game...”

Kaito took a moment, angrily glaring at her until he backed off. “Don’t mock me for going to a school with a stupid name. I bet it sounds better than yours. Do you even go to school? You look more like a prostitute than a student.”

The girl uncomfortably fidgeted in place. She narrowed her eyes slightly at Kaito, a bit angry at his rude comments. “Don’t call me that, please. My name is Miu. Miu Iruma. I go to Shinmei Industries High School.”

Kaito scoffed, smirking. “Industries, huh? Sounds like one of those stupid nerd schools. I can’t believe there’s a nerd prostitute in the world. How many times have you been fu—“

“Leave her alone!” a small voice cried out. Kaito turned to find the voice’s owner, spotting a short boy with dark purple hair. Furrowing his brow, he stomped over to him, the boy looking very frightened of him.

When he stood in front of the boy, Kaito crosses his arms and leaned forward, towering over him. “Are you standing up for that whore over there, pipsqueak?”

The boy nodded, his body shaking nervously. “Y-Yes... I—“

Kaito interrupted him by stomping his foot. “I don’t give a fuck about why! You’re standing up to me, so you’re getting put in your place, asshole.” He cracked his knuckles, winding up a punch. The short boy closed his eyes, bracing for the pain, but it never came. He opened his eyes to see what was happening.

“I think we should all play nice,” Rantaro said as he held Kaito’s arm behind his back, restraining the violent boy. “At least for now.”

Kaito managed to struggle out of Rantaro’s grip and glared angrily at the green haired male. Rantaro glared back, his gaze more serious and intimidating. Sighing, Kaito grumbled to himself as he walked away. “Whatever. You’re a waste of my time anyway.”

With the threat taken care of, Rantaro turned t face the boy who was threatened just a moment ago. “Are you okay?” The boy answered with a silent nod. Rantaro smiled. “Good. Now, how about you tell us your name?”

“...Kokichi,” the boy sheepishly responded. “Kokichi Ouma. I go to Imperial Capital's Imperial High School.”

Such an expensive-sounding name made Rantaro wonder what kind of background Kokichi had. “Sounds fancy,” he complimented.

“It’s not really,” Kokichi corrected. “It has a big name, but it’s just a normal high school. It has jocks, nerds, bullies, the kind of people you’d expect to see in a high school.”

“Seems like we all have that kind of situation,” Rantaro said. He turned to speak to the whole group. “Does anyone here have any sort of special connection or attribute? Anyone at all?”

From the other side of the room, another boy, not too much taller than Kokichi spoke up. “My father runs the school I attend. I’m not sure that directly relates to our situation, though.”

Rantaro looked around at the others in the room. “Anyone else? Anything at all that may stand out about yourselves?” Another tall boy in the back nervously twiddled his thumbs, too anxious to say anything. Rantaro sighed, deciding to give up. “Then we’re all just normal high school students. Let’s continue introducing ourselves. How about you,” he said, turning towards the boy who spoke earlier. ”You said your father runs the school you go to?"

The boy nodded. ”Yes, he does. He is the headmaster of the school I attend.”

“Interesting,” Rantaro admitted. “While not the most unusual scenario, it’s at least something to possibly go off of. Do you think he could be involved with this at all?”

“Possibly, but unlikely,” the boy concluded. “He is a kind and gentle man, but time has not been kind to him. Though he’s in his forties, he has grown into an elder-like body.”

“Well,” Rantaro continued, “For now, we’ll assume he’s not involved unless we have evidence or a reason to suspect him. In the mean time, how about you tell us your name?”

The boy nodded and cleared his throat. “My name is Kiibo Idabashi. I attend Idabashi Industries High School.”


End file.
